Telemarketing, or doing business on the phone, has emerged as one of the most profitable ways to organize a business. Studies show that phone sales are 10 times cheaper than selling on the spot. With a reduction in costs, productivity is maintained, and the company receives an additional resource for development.
The Simplest Definition of Telemarketing
It is possible to use the term telemarketing in the following context. This is the sale of goods and services through the telephone. The first phone sales began in the US in the 50s, and the term telemarketing itself was used by Bell Systems in the 1970s, and it was a pioneer among telemarketing companies.
What Is the Difference Between Telemarketing and Telesales
Modern sales are difficult to imagine without telemarketing, namely, without telephone sales of goods and services. Sales by phone are an integral part of telemarketing. Thus, the difference between Telemarketing and Telesales is in the fact that telephone sales and telemarketing are correlated as private and whole.
Inbound Telemarketing
Inbound telemarketing is built on the work of managers with incoming applications and requests from active and potential customers. This kind of telemarketing is a good way to advertise the goods, and also helps to form a client base. In the process of incoming telemarketing, customers receive answers to their questions or their applications are treated. Orders or specific questions about the product, as a rule, arise as a result of the advertising company.
A vivid example of incoming telemarketing is the Hotline. Its advantages include:
- increase the loyalty of existing customers, as they receive answers to questions, and future customers who will receive quality advice;
- this is an opportunity to advertise new products and services;
- this is the best way to build a client base because after talking with the interested client, the company gets information about his needs and what approach he needs.
Outbound Telemarketing
An outbound telemarketing can be manifested in three ways.
1. Research of potential clients. On the one hand, customers constantly change requests and requirements and it is important to respond to them in time. On the other hand, the more a company is aware of its customer, the more individual approach can be, which means more chances to get the desired result. To learn as much as possible about the client, as well as to determine his market needs, it is needed to conduct a survey or questionnaire. The questionnaire shows the interest of the company in personal relationships with the client. And after the survey, it is desirable to acquaint the client with the results of the research, first, in order not to lose confidence and not leave with the feeling that he was used, and secondly, this is a good excuse for a repeated call.
2. Sales by phone. Typically, telephone sales are divided into several stages:
A cold call is the first call to an unprepared customer. By his consent, it is possible either to send a letter or to make an appointment.
Presentation of the product is the most important stage and preparation for it must be serious. In this case, it is useful to know the techniques of the successful conversation, in order to correctly identify the client's needs and win his trust.
The sale is the final stage. The main thing is to understand in time that the client is ready for the deal and not miss the moment.
3. After-sales service. After the sale, the customer should be "warmed up", for example, it is possible to congratulate him on his birthday and other holidays. Now many companies send SMS with congratulations, therefore it already becomes not interesting.
Advantages and Disadvantages of B to B Telemarketing
The advantages of telephone marketing include:
- Telemarketing provides direct contact with the client, which allows in real time to answer all questions of the consumer, to recognize the needs, to interest him, to offer an alternative option.
- The ability to select potential customers before making a call, which saves a considerable amount of time.
- Saves time when working with a large number of potential customers.
- With the help of software, the company controls the sales process, having access to all records of telephone conversations.
- With direct contact, the manager can find out what exactly does not suit the customer and, based on the answers, improve his product.
As for the shortcomings of telemarketing, this is mainly due to the lack of professional skills of employees and their lack of motivation. Frequent refusals, dissatisfied customers, and small purchases also negatively affect the working mood of telemarketers, so it is necessary to carefully select and identify potential customers.
How to Organize Telemarketing in the Company?
The introduction of telemarketing is carried out on the basis of a corporate or external contact center. The effectiveness of telephone sales can be increased by training professional sales operators who are well acquainted with the products and goods sold, especially if to motivate operators to sell by percent of sales. Innovative solutions in the field of contact centers provide all the elements of telemarketing: making phone calls, auto dialing, recording of negotiations, transfer of a call to a specialist, statistics of calls, etc.
Conclusion
The fundamentals of successful telemarketing are a unique combination of non-standard, creative approach in conversation and the application of classical rules, which, in the end, will certainly lead to the result.